Unlikely Pair
by Bones.the.cat
Summary: Edward Armstrong miraculously survives Wargrave's attempt to kill him, leaving him and Vera Claythorn as the only survivors on Soldior Island. This story is based off the BBC mini series starring Toby Stephens as Armstrong and Maeve Dermondy as Vera Claythorn. Contains spoilers. I do not own the characters
1. No Man's Land

"They're all dead" Armstrong said crawling off the rocks where he fell


	2. Some Kind of Monster

p id="docs-internal-guid-5e9d86c8-42f9-7c3b-eac9-b92f33acc912" dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 20.157px; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;"Doctor Edward Armstrong returned to his home far from the Devon coast where he nearly met his demise. Adjusting back into society was difficult. He found himself famous overnight, but not the way he wanted to be. He thought he would go down in the history books for being a successful doctor. Not a trauma survivor. But what happened, happened. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 20.157px; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;"He saw a doctor now and then to check the injuries he attained, as well as a psychiatrist; the doctor's orders. Armstrong never saw himself as the kind of person who needed mental help, after all, people never think it could happen to them. /span/p  
div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /div  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 20.157px; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;""These sutures are impeccable, Edward." The doctor, Dr. Johannsen said before the stitches were to be removed, "You said a secretary did these?"/span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 20.157px; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;"Armstrong nodded./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 20.157px; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;""You're not back to operating for a while, are you?"/span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 20.157px; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;""No, sir, the other doctors think I am still unstable. If it were up to me I would have jumped back into work as if nothing ever happened." Armstrong admitted, "I've been seeing a therapist."/span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 20.157px; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;""Well, I've taken a few courses in psychology at Uni, often times it's best to address the matter as a portion of recovery." Johannsen said, removing the first set of stitches./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 20.157px; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;""I for one, hate it. It would be better to forget." /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 20.157px; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;""Suppose they want you to find a silver lining so you don't go mad."/span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 20.157px; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;""Me go mad?" Armstrong scoffed, "My first surgery was a complete failure and I didn't go mad." He paused for a moment, ignoring the invasive feeling of the suture removal, "Eight people died. There is no bloody silver lining." /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 20.157px; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;"Johannsen removed the last stitch on Armstrong's chest and proceeded to his face, "You and that gal survived, though, I'd say that's a bit of a silver lining, y'know./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 20.157px; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;"Armstrong shrugged this off, flashing back to the moment he woke from the rocks and saw Vera laying in the sand, hoping she was still alive. He was critical of himself, and wished he hadn't treated her so harshly. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 20.157px; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;"Dismissed from Johannsen's office, he had visible scars. He looked in the mirror with disgust as if he was some kind of monster. But thinking of silver linings, he still had his car, his house and what was left of his career. He laughed out loud thinking of Anthony Marston, even though he was a little shit. What a shock his death was. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 20.157px; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;"Through the countryside, Armstrong stayed home during his recuperation period that was forced upon him. Though the serenity helped him sleep at night, it was almost too silent. Often times if a floorboard squeaked the wrong way, it sent him into panic. Voices echoed in his mind when he was alone./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 20.157px; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;"Weeks prior to his final visit with Johannsen regarding his injuries from the nearly fatal fall, he stumbled to the woodshed in his backyard and strung a rope to the rafters in a drunken stupor. He stood on a pile of wood and adjusted the rope until it nearly cut off his blood flow. Memories of Vera and Wargrave came flooding back, replaying over and over in his mind; something he just could not break himself from. memories of being pushed on to the rocks, the first penetration into Wargrave's chest, Blore's dead body in the hall, carrying Rogers's bloody corpse, and being so hysterical to actually help the murderer. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 20.157px; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;"He inhaled sharply, kicking the wood beneath him and struggling in the hands of death until his whole world went black./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 20.157px; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;"He woke the next day with his muscles tensed and shivering; he fingered the rope still around his neck, and pulled it off. Above him, a wooden rafter was broken in half. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 20.157px; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;""Dammit," He cursed in a coarse voice at whatever higher power may reside above all mankind. /span/p  
div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /div  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 20.157px; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;"The house was eerie, but he adjusted to it slowly. Upon entering, he popped the cork off a bottle of brandy and drank right from the spout. He needn't bother with glasses nor anything to dilute it; he drank it straight. This was nightly ritual./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 20.157px; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;"On his desk, papers from Mrs. Cleese's case lay. He sat in front of them with the accusations of Swan Song playing in his head. The Voice consumed his whole being until the alcohol took over him completely. Every night, he was closer to death./span/p  
div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /div  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 20.157px; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;""Vera Claythorn is her name." Armstrong said, rather annoyed with a woman at the post office. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 20.157px; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;""I've heard that name before." She was rather old, and if the amount of grey hair was equivalent to the lack of intelligence, then she had none at all. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 20.157px; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;""Yes, I'm sure you have, please I just need an address, or telephone number." /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 20.157px; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;""Have you checked the telephone books?"/span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 20.157px; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;""I have been searching for weeks." He rubbed his eyes, and his shoulders tensed. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 20.157px; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;""How do you know each other?" The woman asked./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 20.157px; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;""Old friends." Armstrong said./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 20.157px; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;"The woman grunted and frowned at him./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 20.157px; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;"He sighed and with an embarrassed tone he said, "You read about her in the paper. The Soldier Island tragedy. We were the only survivors." He watched her gasp in recollection, "Vera Elizabeth Claythorn, an address please." /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 20.157px; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;"The receptionist stood up and went to the back. The people behind him whispered, he did his best to ignore it and push away the memories. His palms began to sweat and his heart raced. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 20.157px; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;""This ought to be the one, sir." She said and handed him a piece of parchment. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 20.157px; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;""Thank you." He exhaled in relief and did his best to exit confidently. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 20.157px; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;"He was consumed by anxiety of what he would say to her./span/p  
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End file.
